


The Wedding Photographer

by she_who_the_river_could_not_hold



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, but it is at a wedding, it's not theirs, wedding au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 07:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17524073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold/pseuds/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold
Summary: When Nancy Wheeler hired Jonathan to take photos of her best friend’s small wedding, it was just a casual thing. They’d known each other in high school and it felt right to help him with his freelance, something she occasionally checked in on his Facebook page. It made perfect sense: he was talented and she could trust him to do a good job. What didn’t make sense was the curious feeling she got in her heart every time she stood next to him.





	The Wedding Photographer

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on [Tumblr](https://she-who-the-river-could-not-hold.tumblr.com/post/174229977294/the-wedding-photographer).

“You’re sure there wasn’t an ulterior motive for inviting Jonathan?”

 

Nancy’s eyebrows shoot up as she takes another gulp of champagne, her head twisting around to look at the man in question.

 

Jonathan was busy taking photos of the flower girls, crouched down to be eye-level with the two girls who were twirling for the camera. The flash went off and the girls shrieked with glee, latching onto him to see the photos. Nancy watched with a smile that had unknowingly crept onto her face as she watched him explain that he was shooting with film so they couldn’t see the photos yet.

 

“I can’t believe he doesn’t shoot digital, that’s so rare nowadays. Chelsea is going to love those photos,” Tori said almost wistfully before glancing back over at Nancy. “If you’re sure you’re not going after him…”

 

The suggestive way her voice trailed off made it clear that she was asking for Nancy’s permission. Nancy found herself knocking the rest of the champagne back so that she could force a smile on her face and nodding. Then quickly excusing herself, claiming she spotted another friend from college.

 

Nancy watched as Jonathan began to set up a tripod, no doubt for the photo booth style photos that Chelsea had been pinning on Pinterest.

 

Fuck it.

 

She had been the one to hire him for the gig, she could go talk to him if she wanted to.

 

Weaving her way through the crowd, nodding and smiling at old college classmates and Chelsea’s happily weeping mom, Nancy eventually made her way to his side. With one last knock back of champagne for luck (she had snagged another one on the way over), she reached out and tapped him on the shoulder.

 

It startled him a little bit, but his body completely relaxed once he realized it was her.

Leaning up against his tripod, she tried to keep her balance (man that gulp had been bigger than she had realized).

 

“How’s it going date? I mean, you’re kinda my date right?”

 

Jonathan nearly did a double take at the doe-eyed look that Nancy was giving him. And the worst part was  _he was pretty sure it was unintentional_.

 

“Well,” he started, lifting her arm off of his tripod gently. “Not really. You hired me to photograph the wedding, it’s not quite the same.”

 

The bubbles in her stomach from the champagne seemed to have lifted to her head. She was far from drunk, but she also wasn’t sure when after college feeling tipsy had come this quickly. But either way Jonathan’s hand on her arm made her entire body heat up and she felt a blush collecting on her cheeks.

 

“Right,” she mumbled, cursing the looseness of her tongue when she drank.

 

The reassuring smile that he gave her though settled her nerves and she relaxed again.

 

“Wait, hang on,” he said suddenly, startling her a bit.

 

She started to ask him what was going on but he shushed her, putting his camera to his eye.

“Don’t move,” he said.

 

It was a command, but it came out softly. Encouraging.

 

Nancy fought the grin that was beginning to form, trying to remain in the position she had been in. She felt a curl drop from behind her ear and tickled her cheek and the buzz around them from the wedding reception seemed to have faded away as she stared into the lens of his camera. It felt startling intimate and she mentally waved away the question of if this was what it would be like to date Jonathan Byers.

 

The camera clicked and a sparkle of lights danced in the distance from the flash he had attached to it. As he lowered the camera, Nancy felt herself having to duck her head down and let the rest of her curls fall in front of her face.

 

He had always had such an intense stare, but it had been so long since she had felt it that it threw her off.

 

“Sorry, the lighting was just really good,” he said hesitantly.

 

“That’s okay!” She tried to sound reassuring and it came out almost too brightly.  _Damn it Wheeler pull yourself together._  “You just have to promise to send me the photos once they’re ready!“

  


“Or…” she bit her lip at the memories from high school. “I’m going to be heading back to Hawkins for Mike’s high school graduation. Maybe I can hang with you while you develop them?”

 

Nancy had never admitted to anyone, including herself at times, that she had often wondered what it would have been like to kiss Jonathan in the dark room at Hawkins High.

But she never had.

 

Those afternoons had been an escape for both of them, allowing them to slowly develop an unexpected friendship. A place for her to get away and process her parents’ divorce while he would stand silently, but supportively beside her working on his photos. It had been a safe place for both of them and she had never dared to try it out.

 

And then they had gone to college. Two different schools, two different states.

 

Nancy had occasionally checked up on his photography Instagram page, dutifully wished him happy birthday on Facebook, saw him tagged in Joyce’s awkward (read: failed) selfies that she eventually had figured out how to post.

 

But it wasn’t until Chelsea, one of her roommates from college had asked if she knew any photographers that he had really come to mind.

 

The name Jonathan Byers had slipped from her mouth before she even had realized it. And it had only taken one scroll through his Instagram for her friend to be oohing and ahhing over the softness of his photos and his ability to capture candid photos.

 

She had emailed Jonathan that night.

 

He had replied two hours later.

 

And now she was staring up at him, warm and fuzzy from champagne and maybe something else while he gazed steadily at her.

 

“I’d like that.”

 

Nancy is now convinced they probably look ridiculous right now. She can feel in her cheeks how much she is smiling, and that lopsided smile of his is reflecting hers. She’s also pretty sure the distance between them is growing closer but she’s not sure if it’s just because he’s the only thing she can focus on or if he really is.

 

She’s debating if she wants to just throw caution to the wind and plant a kiss on him when she feels a hand wrap around her arm.

 

“Nancy! Chelsea is about to throw the bouquet! Come on!”

 

It’s one of Chelsea’s sorority sisters, Nancy doesn’t even know her name. But she’s suddenly tempted to tell her to back off. However Jonathan holds up his camera and nods towards the group of women now forming in the center of the room.

 

“Seems like a good photo op?”

 

The way he says it, he could be talking to either of them, but his eyes are only on Nancy.

 

She slowly nods her head and the other girl, seemingly satisfied that they’re coming, hurries back to get a good spot in front. Nancy and Jonathan begin to make their way over, slightly bumping into each other as they walk. There’s something almost supremely middle school crush about it, but Nancy can’t say she hates it.

 

Just before she joins the rest of the wedding party and women crowded behind the bride, she steals one last look back at Jonathan.

 

“The date offer still stands!” She calls out before she loses her nerve.

 

Jonathan’s smile makes her heart flutter and he pretends to think about it deeply.

 

“How about you catch that bouquet and I’ll let you know after?”

 

She laughs out loud at that, her curls shaking and she winks at him and turns to focus on the task at hand. Maybe she could convince Jonathan to let her take a photo of him tonight. And she’s pretty sure he’d love to check out her favorite coffeeshop near here, maybe she could convince him to go on a real date there tomorrow for breakfast.

 

The idea of seeing him first thing in the morning, a routine thing of getting coffee and chatting about their day has now cemented itself in her mind and she’s determined that she really should have kissed him back in the dark room in high school. But she hadn’t.

 

So suddenly she’s a lot more invested in getting this bouquet.


End file.
